The present disclosure relates generally to optical component fabrication and, more particularly, to a method for creating infrared optical components by hot stamping of chalcogenide glass.
Optical components are used to transmit and process light signals in various fields of technology, such as telecommunications, data communications, avionic control systems, sensor networks, and automotive control systems. Generally speaking, such optical components are classed as either passive or active. Examples of passive optical components are those that provide polarization control, transmission, distribution, splitting, combining, multiplexing, and demultiplexing of a light signal. Active optical components include those requiring electrical connections to power and/or control circuitry, such as laser sources and photodiode detectors, and/or to process light signals using electro-optic effects, such as provided by certain non-linear optical materials.
Infrared (IR) optical components (e.g., IR optical fibers) are components that have the capability of transmitting radiation wavelengths greater than about 2 microns.
Since the mid-1960""s, efforts have been made to fabricate IR optical fibers with mechanical properties as close to silica as possible, but only a relatively small number have emerged as viable. Primarily, the use of IR fibers and waveguides has been limited to short-length applications requiring only tens of meters of fiber (e.g., sensing, laser power delivery), as opposed to the kilometer lengths of fiber common in the telecommunication industry.
In this regard, chalcogenide glasses have been utilized as IR optical waveguides, as these materials have good Infrared wavelength transparency, are durable, are easy to prepare in bulk or thin film form, can form optical fibers, and may be formed as patterned waveguides by photodarkening processes. Chalcogenides generally fall into three categories: sulfide, selenide, and telluride. One or more chalcogen elements are mixed with one or more elements such as As, Ge, P, Sb, Ga, Al, Si, etc. to form a two or more component glass. The ability to create chalcogenide thin films, by sputtering, for instance, allows for formation of a device using a chalcogenide glass as part of a larger semiconductor integrated package. Heretofore, such inorganic materials used in photonics applications have deposited as thin films and thereafter processed in accordance with conventional semiconductor photolithography and etching (RIE) techniques to shape the appropriate features. Unfortunately, this process is time consuming and involves multiple steps such as precoating with a photopolymer, masking, irradiating the polymer through the mask, etching, and dissolving of any unused mask. Thus, it would be advantageous to be able to create IR optical devices having the desired micron to nano-sized features in a quicker, less expensive fashion.
The above discussed and other drawbacks and deficiencies of the prior art are overcome or alleviated by a method for creating an optical structure. In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes forming a layer of chalcogenide material upon a substrate, and applying a patterned stamper to the layer of chalcogenide material, in the presence of heat, the patterned stamper causing the layer of chalcogenide material to reflow such that the stamped features of the patterned stamper are transferred onto the layer of chalcogenide material. The stamped features onto the layer of chalcogenide material are used to form one of an optical waveguide, an optical mirror, digital video disk data, compact disk data and combinations comprising at least one of the foregoing.
In another aspect, a method for creating an infrared optical structure includes forming a layer of chalcogenide material upon a substrate and positioning the substrate and a patterned stamper within an embossing apparatus. The substrate, patterned stamper and embossing apparatus are heated, and the embossing apparatus is then engaged so as to apply the patterned stamper to the layer of chalcogenide material. The layer of chalcogenide material is caused to reflow such that the stamped features of the patterned stamper are transferred onto the layer of chalcogenide material. The stamped features onto the layer of chalcogenide material are used to form one of an optical waveguide, an optical mirror, digital video disk data, compact disk data and combinations comprising at least one of the foregoing.